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Supermassive Black Holes Linked to Suppressed Star Formation in Neighboring Galaxies

lite News Desk 2 min read

At a glance

  • Active supermassive black holes can inhibit star formation in nearby galaxies
  • Studies show a lack of young stars within millions of light-years of certain quasars
  • Findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in December 2025

Recent scientific research has identified that active supermassive black holes, known as quasars, can influence not only their own galaxies but also suppress star formation in galaxies located up to a million light-years away. This development is based on multiple studies and observations spanning several years.

Researchers have observed that the presence of a quasar, such as J0100+2802, is associated with a reduction in the formation of new stars in nearby galaxies. The evidence for this suppression includes a lower abundance of ionized oxygen, which is commonly used as an indicator of recent star formation, in galaxies situated within one million light-years of the quasar.

The quasar J0100+2802, which existed when the universe was less than one billion years old, is powered by a supermassive black hole with a mass estimated at about 12 billion times that of the Sun. The findings related to this quasar were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on December 3, 2025.

Earlier research from 2024 using the Dark Energy Camera focused on the quasar VIK J2348-3054. This study found no companion galaxies within approximately 15 million light-years of the quasar, while 38 companion galaxies were detected at distances up to 60 million light-years, suggesting that star formation is reduced in the immediate vicinity of active quasars.

What the numbers show

  • Ionized oxygen, a tracer of new stars, is scarce within 1 million light-years of quasar J0100+2802
  • J0100+2802's black hole has a mass of about 12 billion solar masses
  • In the 2024 study, 38 companion galaxies were found up to 60 million light-years from VIK J2348-3054, but none within 15 million light-years

Another example of intergalactic influence by supermassive black holes is seen in the system 3C 321, where a jet from a black hole in one galaxy has been observed striking a neighboring galaxy. This phenomenon was first observed and announced by NASA in December 2007, providing further evidence of the far-reaching effects of black hole activity beyond their host galaxies.

These findings collectively indicate that the energetic processes associated with active supermassive black holes can extend well beyond the boundaries of their own galaxies. The suppression of star formation in neighboring galaxies has been documented through both the scarcity of star-forming tracers and the absence of companion galaxies in close proximity to certain quasars.

The studies referenced were conducted using a combination of observational data from advanced instruments such as the Dark Energy Camera and detailed analysis of specific quasar systems. The results have been made available through peer-reviewed scientific publications, including The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Ongoing research continues to investigate the mechanisms by which supermassive black holes exert influence over such vast distances, with observational evidence supporting their role in shaping the development of galaxies in the early universe.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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